SILC NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2014
Sharing Information Loud and Clear
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
As we look back at the work accomplished in 2014 by the California State Independent Living Council (SILC) and Independent Living Centers (ILCs), we recognize the hard work and commitment of employees and volunteers who make a difference in the lives of Californians with disabilities.
Every day through their work, the California ILCs honor Ed Roberts, the Father of the Independent Living Movement, whose advocacy and activism helped pave the way for the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This coming July will mark the 25th anniversary of the ADA.
In this edition of Sharing Information Loud and Clear, we’ve included the following articles on how the SILC and ILCs continue to advance the efforts of disability rights advocates, such as Ed Roberts, to help ensure people with disabilities can live and work independently in their communities:
· SILC Member Attends Governor’s Inaugural Reception
· Looking Back at 2014 – Welcoming 2015
· Independent Living Centers Advance Ed Roberts’ Legacy
· Advancing the Independent Living Movement at SILC’s Quarterly Meeting
Please be sure to let us know if there are any topics you would like us to cover in future editions of Sharing Information Loud and Clear.
All of us at SILC look forward to working with you in 2015 to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Eli Gelardin
Chair, SILC
SILC MEMBER ATTENDS GOVERNOR’S INAUGURAL RECEPTION
At Governor Brown’s invitation, State Independent Living Council (SILC) member Linda Schaedle attended the governor’s 2015 inaugural reception at the California Railroad Museum. Showcasing California-grown food, wines and craft beers and ciders, the event also spotlighted the state’s new high-speed train. The governor acknowledged council appointees, including Schaedle, during his speech as well as various state commissioners.
“I was honored to have the opportunity to take part in the celebration and meet many great people,” said Schaedle. “I shook the governor’s hand and thanked him for the opportunity to serve on the SILC.”
Schaedle promoted the SILC during conversations with several attendees, including Commissioner R. Michael Paravagna, California Commission on Disability Access, and Commissioner Catherine ‘Ofa Mann, Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.
Photo: SILC member Linda Schaedle with Commissioner Catherine 'Ofa Mann, Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, at Governor Jerry Brown's inaugural reception. Each time this photo is “shared” on the State Independent Living Council’s Facebook page, California Grown donates one pound of fresh produce to local food banks.
Photo: SILC member Linda Schaedle with Commissioner Catherine 'Ofa Mann at Governor Brown’s Inaugural Reception
LOOKING BACK AT 2014 – WELCOMING 2015
As 2014 comes to a close, the State Independent Living Council (SILC) is grateful for the ongoing commitment and accomplishments of California’s 28 Independent Living Center (ILCs). The SILC continues to support the efforts of the ILCs in a variety of ways. Below is a recap of our 2014 achievements!
The SILC welcomed six new Council members!
· Rebeca Aguirre, 41, a volunteer for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and a poll worker for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder.
· Joseph Cody, 28, the director for technology and resources at Resources for Independence, Central Valley.
· Fiona Hinze, 24, systems change coordinator and community organizer at the Independent Living Resources Center of San Francisco.
· Dawn Leverett, 41, a senior vocational rehabilitation counselor, qualified rehabilitation professional at the California Department of Rehabilitation.
· Sara Moussavian, 23, an administrative assistant at Ada's Café in Palo Alto.
· Michael Van Essen, 61, an instructor at Saddleback College, corporate director at the Pacific Clinics Benefits Establishment and an HIV/AIDS educator and benefits specialist at the AIDS Service Center, Pasadena.
We also welcomed Desi Gonzales to the SILC team as Legislative Specialist. Desi’s responsibilities include implementing the State Plan for Independent Living, handling public affairs activities, analyzing legislation impacting people with disabilities, developing recommendations for SILC Council members to present to policymakers, building coalitions with other disability, senior and civil rights organizations and more.
Recognizing the importance of collaborating with others, the SILC partners with the ILCs, state and local agencies and various organizations and stakeholders to support Californians with disabilities. For example, in 2014 the SILC worked closely with the California Department of Rehabilitation on funding through Title VII B of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. More than $200,000 in awards were made available to ILCs to achieve greater long-term stability through technical assistance, peer-mentored leadership development and capacity building to provide services by undertaking revenue-generating ventures.
Highlighting the good work of the ILCs, each month the SILC featured one or more of the ILCs in press releases, which were distributed statewide and often picked up by state and national media outlets. Available on the SILC’s website at http://www.calsilc.org/PR.html, the press releases included:
· Keeping Ed Roberts’ vision alive;
· Helping obliterate obstacles to aging with disabilities in rural communities;
· Finding housing for people with disabilities and their families;
· Addressing the challenges people with blindness face when traveling;
· Providing proven alternatives for individuals with mental health disabilities to live well and independently;
· Championing the Olmstead decision all year long;
· Embracing diversity in celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
· Helping youth with disabilities sharpen their skills to meet the school year head on;
· Challenging misconceptions about the deaf and hard of hearing;
· Making connections to increase employment options for Californians with disabilities; and
· Giving veterans with disabilities the freedom to express their artistic talents.
The SILC also published six newsletters as well as two position papers: The Deaf Community: Range and Gaps in Services and the Role of Independent Living Centers for People with Hearing Loss available in English and Spanish and The Employment Policy Crisis for People with Disabilities available in PDF format.
In conjunction with the ILCs, SILC Council members attended multiple events, including the 23rd Annual California Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities' luncheon and the 11th Annual Disability Capitol Action Day in Sacramento. They also joined Sacramento Disability Rights Advocates to greet the ADA Legacy Tour Bus at the State Capitol, a traveling exhibit designed to raise public awareness and generate excitement about ADA25. And SILC Council Member Michael Agyin joined a national delegation of social impact professionals, who consulted with the Obama Administration on issues affecting black males in Washington, D.C., and attended the Black Male Achievement Summit.
And, last but not least, quarterly SILC meetings provided additional opportunities to educate the public about the roles the ILCs and SILC play in serving the disability community as well as allowing time for public input. In 2014, the SILC held its first quarterly meeting in February in Sacramento, which concluded with a tribute to outgoing Council Members Elsa Quezada, Susan Madison, Cherie Phoenix and Eddie Rea. The May quarterly meeting was held in Palm Desert with opening remarks by Palm Desert Mayor Van Tanner. August’s meeting took place at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley and touched on topics aimed at advancing opportunities for Californians with disabilities to live independently in their communities. The final meeting in December was held at The California Endowment in Los Angeles. At each meeting, the SILC committees reported on their accomplishments and ongoing work.
Looking back on 2014, it’s gratifying to realize how much we’ve accomplished by working together to advance opportunities for Californians with disabilities to live and work independently in their communities. Thanks to everyone who joined us in making 2014 successful. As we welcome 2015, the SILC team is eager to continue partnering with the ILCs and others to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. We wish you a joyful holiday season and a productive and successful New Year!
Liz Pazdral, Desi Gonzales and Caroline Kuhn
INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTERS ADVANCE ED ROBERTS’ LEGACY
The late activist and advocate Ed Roberts believed disability is a strength. He demonstrated that belief by becoming the first student with severe disabilities to attend the University of California, Berkeley and became known as the Father of the Independent Living Movement. While serving as California Department of Rehabilitation Director, Roberts offered several grants to start Independent Living Centers (ILCs) in the state, which now number 28. His legacy lives on and is at the heart of the employees’ and volunteers’ work at the Independent Living Center of Southern California (ILCSC) helping Californians with disabilities live and work independently.
“Roberts did not hold himself to what ‘was’ but what ‘should be’ for persons with disabilities,” noted ILCSC’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Norma Jean Vescovo. “He was a leader among leaders with a vision that went beyond California to internationally address the needs of persons with disabilities. And if he encountered a closed door, he opened it to everyone’s benefit.”
ILCSC opens doors daily for people living with disabilities. One service ILCSC provides that clearly carries on Roberts’ legacy is its successful job placement program, which offers job readiness training and coaching, community mobility training and job placement assistance as well as a job club.
“We’re breaking our own record right now on helping people obtain and retain jobs,” said Marcy Hernandez, ILCSC’s Community Education Coordinator, who has worked at the center for 15 years. “We serve thousands of individuals annually at our Van Nuys location and our newly opened center in Lancaster. It’s gratifying to promote the opportunities available to persons with disabilities.”
Additionally, ILCSC recently conducted two public trainings on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which passed because of activists like Roberts. The ILC also held an open house commemorating the anniversary of the ADA that was attended by the public and legislative representatives. And ILCSC continues to provide other programs and services advancing Roberts’ legacy year round, including Independent Living skills training, housing and other referrals, assistive technology, peer support, advocacy.
“Having the chance to work with Roberts in the Independent Living Movement was exciting and rewarding,” recalled Vescovo. “He was a necessary and dynamic force who asserted, ‘If people with disabilities have a future, then everyone in our society will have a future.’”
To commemorate Ed Roberts Day on January 23, the California State Independent Living Council’s is posting its YouTube video, “A Passion for Freedom,” which recalls the history of the Independent Living Movement and features Roberts’ extraordinary work. Additional information is available on Youth Organizing! Disabled & Proud’s website.
Photo: (Left-Right) Ed Roberts cutting the ribbon at ILCSC’s 1976 grand opening with Los Angeles City Councilman Ernani Bernardi and ILCSC Board President Darrell McDaniel
Photo: Youth Organizing! Disabled & Proud’s Ed Roberts Day Poster
ADVANCING THE INDEPENDENT LIVING MOVEMENT AT SILC’S QUARTERLY MEETING
The California State Independent Living Council’s (SILC) quarterly meeting was held on December 2-3 at The California Endowment in Los Angeles. The following recaps the first day’s presentations and discussions on expanding opportunities for Californians with disabilities to live independently:
· Lillibeth Navarro, Executive Director, Communities Actively Living Independent & Free (CALIF), described CALIF’s history, mission, programs and services, which emphasize achieving greater input, participation and control over policies and services by people with disabilities.
· Ted Jackson, Statewide Community Organizer, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, gave a brief overview of the purpose and 2014 accomplishments of the Disability Organizing Network. Of particular note was the organization’s video contest to encourage young people to vote.
· Jane Adcock, Executive Officer, California Mental Health Planning Council (CMHPC), explained the function of the 40-member CMHPC, which informs the California Administration and Legislature on priority issues through publications and reports and provides feedback on mental health policy, regulations and legislative actions based on its legislative platform. Adcock also highlighted the funding components of the Mental Health Services Act.
· Denyse Curtright, Chief, Work Services Section, Department of Developmental Services, discussed the closure of the Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona, which occurred on December 31, 2014. She also reviewed Senate Bill 577 that was signed into law and will help people in daycare centers transition to competitive employment.
· Lanese Wright, California Department of Social Services (CDSS), provided an overview of the Federal Labor Standards Act and an update on the Universal Assessment Tool as well as CDSS’s activities during the past year
· Jay Harris, Chief, Independent Living and Assistive Technology Section (ILATS), California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), noted that most of the funding allocated to the Independent Living community has been spent, and the ILATS was proud to transition 76 people out of nursing homes and into the community.
Photo: Lanese Wright, Representing the Department of Social Services, with Jay Harris, Department of Rehabilitation, and New SILC Member Rebeca Aguirre
Time was allocated on the first day for public comments and SILC committee meetings with updates by committee chairs on accomplishments since the last quarterly meeting in August. Highlights included SILC’s social media efforts, results from the last legislative session, SILC recruitment strategies and more. SILC member Linda Schaedle recommended the documentary film “Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory” by Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory.
Photo: Irene Walela, Representing the Department of Rehabilitation, and SILC Communication and Collaboration Committee Chair Dorothy Jones